15 ESL Speaking Activities Teachers Can Use in Any English Class
Getting students to speak English confidently can be challenging. Some students are shy, while others need more opportunities to use vocabulary and grammar in meaningful situations.
These 15 ESL speaking activities are simple, engaging, and easy to adapt for beginners, teenagers, adults, and mixed-level classes. Most take only 5–15 minutes and require little or no preparation.
Quick Overview
| # | Speaking Activity | Time | Level | Preparation | Main Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Would You Rather? | 5–10 min | A2–C1 | None | Opinions |
| 2 | Find Someone Who | 10–15 min | A1–B2 | Worksheet | Questions |
| 3 | Two Truths and a Lie | 5–10 min | A2–C1 | None | Personal information |
| 4 | Question Ball | 5–10 min | A1–B2 | Ball | Conversation |
| 5 | Picture Talk | 5–10 min | A1–C1 | Picture | Description |
| 6 | Mystery Person | 10 min | A2–B2 | None | Questions |
| 7 | Role-Play Cards | 10–15 min | A1–C1 | Cards | Real-life English |
| 8 | Hot Seat | 5–10 min | A1–B2 | Board | Vocabulary |
| 9 | Speed Chat | 5–10 min | A1–C1 | None | Fluency |
| 10 | Story Chain | 10 min | A2–C1 | None | Storytelling |
| 11 | Would You Agree? | 5–10 min | B1–C1 | Statements | Discussion |
| 12 | Describe and Draw | 10 min | A1–B2 | Paper | Communication |
| 13 | Information Gap | 10–15 min | A1–B2 | Worksheet | Question formation |
| 14 | 30-Second Talk | 5–10 min | A2–C1 | Prompts | Fluency |
| 15 | Debate Corners | 10–15 min | B1–C1 | Statements | Discussion |
1. Would You Rather?
Give students two choices and ask them to explain their answers.
Examples:
- Would you rather live in the city or the countryside?
- Would you rather travel by plane or train?
- Would you rather have a lot of money or a lot of free time?
Teacher tip: Don't accept only “City.” Encourage students to say:
“I would rather live in the city because there are more opportunities.”
2. Find Someone Who
Give students a list of things to find among their classmates.
Examples:
Find someone who:
- likes football.
- has visited another city.
- can cook.
- watched a movie last weekend.
- speaks two languages.
Students walk around asking questions:
“Do you like football?”
“Have you visited another city?”
This activity is excellent for question formation and interaction.
3. Two Truths and a Lie
Each student says three sentences about themselves. Two are true and one is false.
Example:
“I have two brothers.”
“I can speak French.”
“I have visited Japan.”
The other students ask questions and try to identify the lie.
Best for: A2–C1 learners.
4. Question Ball
Students stand or sit in a circle. Throw a ball to a student and ask a question.
“What is your favorite food?”
The student answers and throws the ball to another student with a new question.
For beginners, put question prompts on the board.
5. Picture Talk
Show students a picture and ask them to describe what they see.
Start with simple questions:
- What can you see?
- Where are they?
- What are they doing?
- What is happening?
- How do they feel?
For advanced students, ask them to predict what happened before and what might happen next.
6. Mystery Person
Choose a famous person or a person from the students' world knowledge.
Students ask yes/no questions to discover who it is.
“Is it a man?”
“Is he a singer?”
“Is he from America?”
“Is he famous for football?”
The student who guesses correctly chooses the next person.
7. Role-Play Cards
Give pairs different real-life situations.
Examples:
- At a restaurant
- At the airport
- At a hotel
- At a doctor's office
- Shopping for clothes
- Asking for directions
- Job interview
Give students 2–3 minutes to prepare, then perform the conversation.
Teacher tip: Provide useful expressions on the board before starting.
8. Hot Seat
Put one student in front of the class. Write a vocabulary word behind them where they cannot see it.
The other students describe the word without saying it.
If the word is “airport”, students might say:
“You go there before you fly.”
“You can see planes there.”
“You need a passport.”
The student in the hot seat guesses the word.
9. Speed Chat
Put students in pairs. Give them one speaking question and two minutes to discuss it.
When time is up, students change partners and receive a new question.
Questions:
- What do you usually do at weekends?
- What is your dream job?
- What country would you like to visit?
- What makes a good friend?
This works particularly well for large classes.
10. Story Chain
Start a story with one sentence:
“Yesterday, I was walking home when I saw a strange box.”
Student 1 adds a sentence.
Student 2 continues.
Student 3 continues.
The class gradually creates a complete story.
Challenge: Require students to use a target grammar structure or vocabulary set.
11. Would You Agree?
Write an opinion on the board.
“Students should not have homework.”
Students choose Agree / Disagree / Not Sure and explain their opinions.
Other possible statements:
- School uniforms are a good idea.
- Everyone should learn another language.
- Smartphones are useful in the classroom.
- Students should start school later.
This is particularly useful for B1–C1 speaking classes.
12. Describe and Draw
Put students into pairs.
Student A receives a picture. Student B has a blank piece of paper.
Student A describes the picture without showing it.
Student B listens and draws.
For example:
“There is a small house in the middle of the picture.”
“There is a tree next to the house.”
“The sun is above the house.”
Finally, students compare the original picture with the drawing.
13. Information Gap
Give Student A and Student B different information.
They must ask questions and communicate to complete the missing information.
For example, Student A has:
Monday – Football
Tuesday – ______
Wednesday – Swimming
Student B has:
Monday – ______
Tuesday – Basketball
Wednesday – ______
Students cannot simply show each other their worksheets. They must ask:
“What is the activity on Tuesday?”
This creates a genuine reason to speak.
14. 30-Second Talk
Give students a topic and ask them to speak for 30 seconds without stopping.
Topics:
- My favorite food
- My best friend
- My dream holiday
- My daily routine
- My favorite movie
- My future plans
After students become comfortable, increase the time to 45 seconds or one minute.
15. Debate Corners
Label four areas of the classroom:
Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree
Read a statement:
“Homework should be optional.”
Students move to the area representing their opinion.
Then ask students to explain why they chose that position.
Students can also respond to classmates:
“I agree with Sara because…”
“I don't agree because…”
This turns a simple movement activity into a meaningful speaking task.
How to Make ESL Speaking Activities More Effective
A speaking activity works better when students know exactly what they need to say.
Before starting, consider giving students:
Useful Expressions
- “I think…”
- “In my opinion…”
- “I agree because…”
- “I don't agree because…”
- “What do you think?”
- “Can you explain?”
- “Why do you think so?”
- “What about you?”
For beginner students, provide sentence starters. For stronger students, remove the support and encourage more spontaneous speaking.
A Simple Speaking Activity Formula
1. Model → 2. Practice → 3. Speak → 4. Change Partners → 5. Feedback
For example:
Teacher models:
“I would rather travel by train because it is comfortable.”
Students practice:
“I would rather ___ because ___.”
Students speak:
Discuss with a partner.
Change partners:
Repeat with a new classmate.
Feedback:
Highlight useful language and correct important errors.
Teacher Tip
Don't interrupt students every time they make a mistake during a fluency activity. If the goal is speaking fluency, allow students to communicate first and provide feedback afterward.
Keep a small list of common errors and discuss them with the class after the activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good ESL speaking activities?
Some effective options include role-plays, information-gap activities, picture discussions, speed chats, question games, debates, and storytelling activities.
How can I encourage shy ESL students to speak?
Start with pair work and small groups before asking students to speak in front of the whole class. Providing sentence starters and preparation time can also reduce anxiety.
What speaking activities are suitable for beginners?
Picture Talk, Question Ball, Find Someone Who, Describe and Draw, and simple role-plays can work well with A1 learners when supported with useful vocabulary and sentence frames.
How long should an ESL speaking activity last?
A short speaking activity can take 5–10 minutes, while role-plays, information-gap tasks, and discussions can take 10–15 minutes or longer.
How can I make speaking activities more engaging?
Use topics connected to students' lives, introduce movement, change partners regularly, provide meaningful choices, and give students a clear reason to communicate.
Final Thoughts
The best ESL speaking activities do not need to be complicated. A simple question, picture, role-play, or information gap can create valuable opportunities for students to use English, interact with classmates, and build speaking confidence.
Choose an activity that matches your lesson objective, give students the language support they need, and let them speak as much as possible.
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